The core of your plan
Everyone’s family and finances are different, so there’s no single “right”
plan. I’ll listen first, explain your options in plain English, and help you choose the tools that
fit.
Living trusts & wills
Many families now build their plan around a revocable living trust rather than a will alone. You
stay in control as your own trustee and can change it at any time. If you become ill, the successor
trustee you choose can step in without going to court, and at your death your assets pass to your
family privately, without probate. A trust only works if your assets are in it, so I’ll help
you fund it, not just sign it. A short “pour-over” will catches anything left outside.
If a will-based plan fits you better, I’ll tell you.
Powers of attorney & health care decisions
A durable financial power of attorney, a health care power of attorney, and a living will let the
people you choose make decisions for you if you can’t. Without them, your family may have to
go to court for that authority.
Types of trusts
Trusts come in several forms, each built for a different purpose:
- Revocable living trust: You keep control during your lifetime and can change it
at any time. At your death, the assets pass to your family without probate.
- Irrevocable trust: Harder to change once it’s signed, but it can be used to
protect assets, plan for taxes, or hold life insurance outside your estate.
- Special needs trust: Provides for a loved one with a disability without
affecting their eligibility for benefits.
- Trusts for children and grandchildren: Hold an inheritance until a beneficiary is
ready, on the terms you set.
- Charitable trust: Supports causes you care about and may offer tax benefits.
Plans for particular families
Disability planning & special needs trusts
If your child or another loved one has a disability, a standard plan can do real harm: an
inheritance left the wrong way can cost them benefits such as SSI and Medicaid. A special needs
trust provides for their quality of life while protecting that eligibility. I also set up special
needs trusts for adults with disabilities who receive money of their own, such as an inheritance or
a settlement. My daughter has Down syndrome, so I know these questions as a parent, too.
Planning for every kind of family
Ohio’s default inheritance rules follow a traditional family tree. If you’re in a
same-sex couple, have an unmarried partner, are raising a blended family, or count close friends as
family, those rules may not reflect your wishes. An unmarried partner, for example, inherits nothing
without a plan. I’m glad to help LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and families of every shape
decide who inherits, who makes decisions for you, who cares for your children, and who handles your
final arrangements.
Guardianship
When a child with a disability turns 18, parents lose the legal authority to make medical or
financial decisions for them. An aging parent may reach a point where they can’t make safe
decisions and has no powers of attorney in place. I help families decide whether guardianship is
needed, consider less restrictive options, and guide them through the probate court process when
there’s agreement that guardianship is the right step.
Planning for small business owners
Your business may be your most valuable asset, and the one most at risk if something happens to
you. I help owners build succession into their estate plan: who will own or run the business next,
holding business interests in a trust so they pass without probate, and who can step in if
you’re ill. I also prepare or update operating agreements so they work with your plan. Many
owners formed an LLC years ago and never put one in place.
Planning for aging and long-term care
If you’re thinking about retirement, a parent’s care, or the cost of long-term care, I
can help you build a plan with those realities in mind. For Medicaid eligibility and applications, I
work with attorneys who focus on that area.